[BobbyTables2]

I really wonder, what is “normal”?

One class of doctors thinks roughly 250 is enough for a middle aged guy - anything over shouldn’t be medically treated. Of course, the “men’s clinics” don’t rest until it’s over 1000...

With the standard range so wide (even after age adjustment), why isn’t it measured annually, like the CBC and others?

Sure, it’s easy to point at obesity, but statistical ranges completely fail the individual.

[bradlys]

There are wide ranges but it's more about how you feel personally and what you've noticed over time. Some men have below average T but feel great and build serious muscle anyway.

The two sigma range is something like 300-900 with std being 150 and median 600. This is for what is labeled as healthy 18-39 men. It doesn't include obese men.

If you want to take something away from it, just get yourself measured a few times over a few years. Then later if you have issues that relate to low T or whatever you can flag it with your doctor. In my case, it was super important because I found out I am in the top 0.01% of (healthy) total T producers. If I had "low T" type symptoms and went to my doctor without that information - they'd be like, "no, your T is amazing actually."

Everyone has a different baseline. I only wish I started measuring before I was in my mid-30s because I feel my levels before were even more ridiculous.

[eudamoniac]

The effect is so variable that the reference range is nigh meaningless. Some people feel great at 300ng/dL. Some people experience genuine low-T symptoms at 650 that are fixed by bumping it to 1000. Some people are naturally over 1000 and have otherwise average hormonal profile (hair growth, muscle growth).

Also, the reference range is defined by an age span that is too wide to be useful, something like 21-59. The reference range is completely meaningless for a 25 year old man. Also the level varies drastically throughout days and weeks, so that one test is not a useful indicator of anything unless it's off the charts.

Basically, if you have low-T symptoms you should probably just get on T regardless of what number the test says. Find a doctor who agrees.